Perry Cregan, research leader of the ARS Soybean Genomics and Improvement Laboratory in Beltsville, Md., has been the driving force behind the development of new tools to identify, describe and map soybean, wheat and common bean genes for economically important traits, including resistance to pests and diseases, better tolerance to stresses such as drought, increased yield and improved seed quality traits.

Jerry Hatfield, director of the ARS National Laboratory for Agriculture and the Environment in Ames, Iowa, has conducted numerous field-scale research projects leading to the development of more efficient farming practices and strategies to prevent or mitigate the environmental impact of nutrient, sediment or chemical losses from crop fields through runoff, erosion or other processes.

Hyun Lillehoj, a research molecular biologist at the ARS Animal Biosciences and Biotechnology Laboratory in Beltsville, Md., is one of the world's premier leaders in the field of avian immunology. She has conducted basic and applied research that advanced the understanding of immunological responses in poultry to the enteric pathogens Eimeria and Clostridium, which together cost the U.S. poultry industry $5 billion annually in losses. Lillehoj also has developed alternatives to antibiotic approaches—integrating nutrition, health and disease research—to protect commercial chickens from important avian diseases.

Ross Welch, a retired plant physiologist who worked at the ARS Plant, Soil and Nutrition Research Unit in Ithaca, N.Y., conducted pioneering research on the roles of zinc, iron, nickel and other micronutrients in maintaining plant health and productivity. His discoveries illustrated the importance of using plant breeding and fertilization to bolster micronutrient levels in staple food crops, especially in developing countries where health problems associated with malnutrition is a concern. He also was instrumental in establishing HarvestPlus, an international biofortification program.

Rufus L Chaney, an agronomist in the ARS Environmental Management and Byproduct Utilization Laboratory in Beltsville, Md., is an international expert on assessing the health and environmental risks posed by trace metals in contaminated soils, manures, biosolids, composts and other soil amendments. Chaney's work has been critical to ensuring the safety and sustainability of a variety of crop production systems. He also has found innovative ways to revegetate and revitalize long-barren toxic waste sites, including Superfund sites, using composts, limestone and byproducts to minimize the environmental risks from soil metals.

Sarah Hake, who is director of the ARS Plant Gene Expression Center in Albany, Calif., was the first scientist to clone a developmental gene using a transposable or "jumping" gene, and the first to identify a class of genes in plants that activate a cascade of other genes. The discovery of these influential genes that determine the architecture of plants was a surprise that created a whole new subfield of plant genomic studies. In other work focused on plant mechanisms, Hake showed that protein from the specialized genes moves through holes in cell walls to influence the activity of adjacent cells, an achievement considered groundbreaking and cited thousands of times by other scientists. Her work in leaf architecture and flower spike development in maize also has placed her at the forefront of plant biology.

David W Ramming, who retired in January from the ARS San Joaquin Valley Agricultural Sciences Center at Parlier, Calif., is responsible for developing 40 varieties of table grapes, raisin grapes, peaches, apricots and other stone fruits, and has been instrumental in developing technologies that address a number of grower concerns. His 15 varieties of table grapes represent more than half of the table grape production in California. He also led research that resulted in a plant regeneration system that allows for the routine insertion of genes into grapes, speeding up the process for developing improved varieties. Embryo rescue techniques developed by Ramming also have significantly shortened the time required for development of new table grape and raisin grape cultivars.

Larry V. Cundiff is a world-renowned expert on beef genetics and breeding research. For more than 40 years, he directed genetics and breeding research that led to dramatic changes in breeding systems and genetic improvement programs in beef production worldwide. He has made essential contributions that impact beef production and substantially increase global use of crossbreeding. Cundiff led a comprehensive project to evaluate effects of heterosis in crosses of Hereford, Angus, and Shorthorn cattle and was a key members of a team that conducted research to determine the feasability of developing composite populations of beef cattle as a practical alternative to more complex crossbreeding systems. Later, Cundiff led a multi-disciplinary research team that characterized 37 diverse breeds of cattle in the comprehensive Germplasm Evaluation Program at the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center. The results of these studies have had a major impact on breeding decisions by commercial beef producers.

Donald Knowles is an international expert on animal science disease research, and his scientific leadership has had a tremendous impact on animal health. Through his scientific leadership in research and professional leadership in outreach Knowles has provided research-based solutions for multiple infectious diseases confronting animal health including bovine and equine babesiosis, viral diseases in small ruminants (goats and sheep) caused by lentiviruses, prion diseases, bovine anaplasmosis, and the emerging viral disease malignant catarrhal fever. Multiple new diagnostic tests developed by Knowles are being licensed and used worldwide..

Kenneth P. Vogel is widely considered the foremost switchgrass expert in the world. As a result of Vogel's innovative and strategic research switchgrass is now being developed internationally into a bioenergy crop. His comprehensive baseline research information on the net energy, economics, and carbon sequestration of switchgrass grown for biomass—as well as on the effects of removing corn stover for biomass energy on long-term agricultural sustainability—has had a significant impact on the national strategic bioenergy plans of the United States.

Allen Dedrick was a leader in water management research. His most notable achievements were the development of water-harvesting methods and of level-basin technology. Dedrick applied laser guidance to grading and leveling of irrigated fields, improving water distribution over the entire field. Laser-guided grading has been applied to tens of millions of irrigate acres and has expanded possibilities in arid climates. Level-basin irrigation became the standard in water efficiency. His next achievement was developing a novel drainage technique--a logical next step. Dedrick's improvements in irrigated agriculture led to the development of Management Improvement Programs (MIP) for transferring the technology. MIP pulled together a wide range of interested parties into an effort to improve the profitability and sustainability of irrigated agriculture. He led an interagency MIP of federal, state, and local entities, as well as an irrigation district and growers, that identified areas and established plans for improving performance. The Bureau of Reclamation then adapted and applied the process in irrigation districts in the western United States. Dedrick's achievements also have been widely adopted abroad. The world bank used the MIP model to improve irrigation around the world. Dedrick received both the award for the Advancement of Surface Irrigation and the Evelyn E. Rosentreter Standards Award from the American Society of Agricultural Engineers. He was voted Man of the Year by the Irrigation Association and was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the University of Nebraska, Department of Biological Systems Engineering. Dedrick was also honored with the Presidential Distinguished Rank Award. He has received numerous other awards and national and international recognition.

Ronald Fayer is a world-renowned expert on the study of microorganisms of medical and veterinary importance. Fayer pioneered in-vitro cultivation of coccidian parasites of domestic animals, and he was first to use these methods for testing anticoccidial drugs. His methods have been adapted and used throughout the world to investigate these and related organisms. Until Fayer, the source of Sarcocystis cysts in human and food-animal muscles was unknown. Fayer elucidated the life cycle of Sarcocystis, a parasitic infection that caused millions of dollars of beef to be condemned every year. He identified previously unknown precystic stages of infection that caused abortion, wasting, poor growth, and death in livestock. As a result, Sarcocystis disease is no longer a serious economic problem. Fayer is also recognized worldwide as a leader in the identification and naming of several new species of Cryptosporidium, a widespread pathogen affecting humans and animals. A preeminent international expert on protozoan pathogens, Fayer has received over 350 invitations to speak at scientific conference and has been invited to many countries to consult on problems involving protozoan pathogens. Honors include the Helminthological Society of Washington's Anniversary Award, Distinguished Veterinary Parasitologist from the American Association of Veterinary Parasitologists, the National Oceanic and Atomospheric Administration Unit Award, and the H.B. Ward Medal from the American Society of Parasitologists. Fayer received the USDA Superior Service award in 1978 and 1997 and USDA's plow award in 2005. He is also a recipient of the Presidential Rank Award for Distinguished Senior Professional.

Ronald Follett is recognized for research leading to vast improvements in agricultural practices that enhance the quality of soil, water and air. Widely recognized for his work on managing nitrogen for groundwater quality, Follett organized a team responding to then president George H. W. Bush's water quality imitative. He also published an internationally used computer model on nitrogen leaching. He pioneered recognition of "soil organic carbon" (SOC) as an offset to greenhouse gas emissions and is widely recognized for his work on nitrogen. Since 2005, follett has led the ARS GRACEnet (Greenhouse gas reduction through agriculture carbon enhancement network) research effort, working with over 70 scientists from 32 ARS locations around the United states. The group has published 160 scientific papers so far. Along with other research, the network is developing a nationwide database of information from field studies for development of models that address the role of U.S. agriculture on greenhouse emissions and global climate change, as well as the potential of improved soil and crop management systems to affect these factors. Follett received the No-Till Innovator Award at the No-Till Farmer's 2007 Annual Meeting, the Soil Science Society of America's Soil Science Research Award and the Hugh Hammond Bennett Award from the Soil and Water Conservation Society. He is a fellow of th Soil Science Society of America, the American Society of Agronomy, and the Soil and Water Conservation Society. USDA has recognized Follett with the Distinguished Service Award and Superior Service Award, as well as ARS' Senior Research Scientist of the Year Award. In addition, he was honored with the Presidential Rank Award for Meritorious Senior Professional.

Jitender Dubey's contributions to the control and biology of major parasitic diseases of livestock and humans have reversed the loss of billions of dollars for the animal industry, as well as saving the lives of innumerable children. Dubey worked principally on three single-cell organisms: Toxoplasma gondii, Neospora caninum, and Sarcocystis neurona. Toxoplasmosis, caused by T. gondii, is a devastating disease among congenitally infected children and a major cause of foodborne disease in the United States. Dubey has spent years developing methods for identifying the presence of T. gondii and guidelines for rendering infected meat safe for consumption. Neospora caninum causes spontaneous abortion in livestock and paralysis in household pets. Having identified N. caninum as the cause, Dubey developed tests to identify it, discovered its lifecycle, and led research into developing a vaccine. Dubey identified the cause of Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis and developed a diagnostic test. He furthermore elucidated the protozoa's life cycle and discovered the drugs used to treat the disease. Dubey has received the Medal of the Toxoplasma Centennial Congress, the Eminent Parasitologist Award and the Barclay McGhee Award in Protozoology from the American Society of Parasitologists, the Presidential Rank Award of Meritorious Senior Professional, and Technology Transfer Award from USDA, Agricultural Research Service. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences.

Ronald Horst is known throughout the world for his work on milk fever in dairy cattle, vitamin D metabolism, and assays. Milk fever is a common metabolic disorder of cattle that costs the dairy industry $250 million every year. Horst discovered the cause of milk fever and its association with high levels of dietary potassium. He and his associates found that the addition of hydrochloric acid to cows' feed reduces the incidence of milk fever. Horst also elucidated the processes of activation and deactivation of fat-soluble vitamins, including vitamin D. His work produced a series of revolutionary analytical methods for monitoring the products of these processes. Besides their importance in the dairy, beef, swine, and poultry industries, these methods have been applied to human medicine, in particular enhancing the understanding of renal failure and osteoporosis. Horst has been honored with the American Feed Manufacturing Association Award for Dairy Nutrition, the Upjohn Physiology Award, the Agway Inc. Young Scientist Award, the Dean Food Award, and the Brown University Award. From the Federal Government, he has received the Presidential Rank Award of Meritorious Senior Professional, USDA's Certificate of Merit, and Scientist of the Year from USDA, Agricultural Research Service. He is a Fellow of the American Dairy Science Association.

Dale Van Vleck is noted for his outstanding work in developing computational methods for the selection of breeding animals based on genetic characteristics. Van Vleck's greatest achievement is the development and release of general purpose software for estimation of genetic parameters from experimental and industry data. This involved a revolutionary breakthrough in computer strategy that reduced the time needed to process complex data by as much as 600-fold. He was the first to use simulated data to investigate intractable problems such as analysis of threshold traits, and he devised the "animal model" to estimate genetic parameters required to predict breeding values of dairy cattle. Van Vleck also developed an original procedure to compare the genetic value of bulls across breeds; previously bulls could only be compared within a breed. Van Vleck's honors include the Animal Breeding and Genetics Award and Morrison Award, American Society of Animal Science; National Association of Animal Breeders Award; Jay L. Lush Award, American Dairy Science Association; Pioneer Award, Beef Improvement Federation; International Distinguished Achievement in Agriculture Award and other awards, Gamma Sigma Delta; Pioneer Award, Beef Improvement Federation; and Living Pioneer Award, National Dairy Shrine. He is a Fellow of the American Society of Animal Science.

Dairy scientist Max Paape is the world's leading authority on bovine
mastitis, the costliest disease to the U.S. dairy industry. He is
internationally renowned for his work on cells in milk and the neutrophil's
role in defending the mammary gland against bacteria causing mastitis. His
research into the biology of bovine neutrophils and his significant discoveries
about factors influencing their function made groundbreaking contributions to
the study of mammary immunology, which has benefited diary industries world
wide in the control of mastitis in dairy ruminants. Early in his career, Paape
developed procedures for quantifying the milk somatic cell count (MSCC), now
used as an index of udder health. His research showed that noninfectious
factors did not increase MSCC and led to the formation of abnormal milk control
programs. His seminal work has had a lasting impact on dairy industries
worldwide. Current regulatory limits, milk producer premiums, and animal
selection all rely heavily on accurate MSC determination.

Geneticist J. Neil Rutger created a renaissance in the application of
induced mutation as a breeding tool for rapid development of new rice
cultivars. His work on semidwarf cultivars, early maturity, and grain
characteristics has had great national and international impact. In 1976,
Rutger released the first semidwarf table rice cultivar in the United States,
Calrose 76, which had a 15-percent yield advantage over tall cultivars. Calrose
76 has been the ancestral semidwarfism source for many additional cultivars
developed. Rutger also developed early maturity mutants, endosperm mutants,
elongated uppermost internode mutants, genetic male steriles, low phytic acid
mutants, giant embryo mutants, and semidwarf basmati and jasmine germplasm. He
has released over 60 improved germplasms. As the first Director of the Dale
Bumpers National Rice Research Center, Rutger recruited staff and developed the
Center into a world-class facility, which includes the Rice Genomics Facility
and the Genetic Stocks-Oryza Collection.

Soil scientist B.A. Stewart's seminal work on nutrient management, water
quality, water management, and dryland agriculture has influenced research
worldwide. His groundbreaking research on anhydrous ammonia, nitrogen
fractions, and nitrate accumulation and movement beneath feedlots and
cultivated fields stimulated research worldwide on agriculture's effects on
environmental quality. In 1975, he led the team that prepared Control of
Water Pollution from Cropland, a report jointly issued by the U.S.
Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service and the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency that inspired the concept of agricultural best
management practices and, together with a follow-up ARS-EPA report, laid the
foundation for ARS's water quality modeling program. He is an international
leader in dryland agriculture and water conservation and is widely known for
his conservation tillage research and no till advocacy.

Plant pathologist Robert Davis's 1979 discovery of spiroplasmas, a
previously unrecognized form of life, revolutionized the worlds of plant
pathology, medicine, and animal husbandry. The fundamental understanding of
this entire group of lifeforms rests on his work. A form of bacteria without
cell walls, spiroplasmas cause diseases of crop plants and of insects and are
suspected in some human maladies. By showing the scientific world that this
lifeform exists, Davis opened new categories of research. He showed the
scientific community how to culture these smallest of microbes and how they
survive outside plants on flower petals. Davis developed techniques to detect
and identify spiroplasmas, and discovered spiroplasma diseases of honey bees
and other pollinating insects. He conceptualized and led the project to
sequence the spiroplasma genome. Davis even discovered a pathogen of the
pathogena virus that infects spiroplasmas across species.

Soil scientist Andrew Sharpley is internationally recognized for his
invaluable contributions in promoting soil and water conservation strategies
that are both economically beneficial and environmentally sound. Sharpley's
research on non-point-source pollution led to involvement in developing
Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plans that increased recreational use of
waters, improved shellfish harvests, reduced fish kills, and lowered drinking
water treatment costs. Sharpley's research on nutrient cycling in soil-water
systems demonstrated the movement of nutrients in agricultural systems and
their impact on water resources. This led to equations that predict the
transport of elemental nutrients in runoff, including the Phosphorus Index
(widely known as the "P Index") for identifying agricultural fields
at greatest risk for nutrient loss. The P Index serves as an educational tool
that shows the results of management options to provide flexible strategies for
keeping nutrients in the field and out of surface and ground water. Sharpley's
research recommendations and technological innovations have been widely adapted
by regulatory and resource conservation agencies worldwide.

Dennis Gonsalves was a trailblazer in applying pathogen-derived resistance
to the development of virus-resistant plant varieties and in related research
into viral diseases of fruits and vegetables. After years of studying and
improving disease resistance in cucumber, grapevine and other fruits and
vegetables, he and his research team developed methods for transferring
specific virus genes into host plants to create resistance to that virus. His
ringspot-resistant papaya saved the small-farm-based Hawaiian papaya industry.
This new variety was so successful that it became the first commercialized
transgenic fruit crop. Gonsalves further adapted papaya varieties for local
conditions in Africa and Bangladesh. These improved varieties will help in
overcoming vitamin-A deficiency in children of those areas.

Plant geneticist Johnie Jenkins' realization of interdisciplinary teamwork
on host plant resistance brought great advances in reduction of damage to
cotton by insects and nematodes. Investigating differences in germplasm
resistance to pests, he pioneered the understanding of the effects of chemical
differences among cotton strains on the variability of damage done by pests.
Cotton farmers can thank Jenkins for less damage by boll weevils, Heliothis, tarnished plant bugs, and root-knot nematodes. Jenkins also
performed seminal work on cotton fruiting, retention, and yield, developing the
technique of "plant mapping."

Janet King, a nutrition scientist, is internationally recognized for her
research on energy and zinc metabolism in adults, and especially in pregnant
women. Her work has profoundly influenced our understanding of maternal and
infant health. She showed in a groundbreaking study that maternal nutritional
statusparticularly fat storesat the inception of pregnancy strongly
affects the pregnancy's outcome. This led to the Institute of Medicine of the
National Academies establishing differing weight-gain guidelines fior
underweight, normal-range and overweight expectant mothers. King chaired the
2005 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee for the U.S. Departments of
Agriculture and Health and Human Services, which guided revision of the Dietary
Guidelines for Americans and the Food Pyramid. She also chaired the National
Academy of Sciences' Food and Nutrition Board, which established a new paradigm
for U.S. Dietary Reference Intakes, and a United Nations committee on
international harmonization of dietary standards.

In Wayne Hanna's 35 years of research in turfgrass breeding and genetics, he
has improved the very surface of the earth we walk on. His bermudagrass
varieties have more vigor and resistance to pests and heat and need less
fertilizer, pesticides and water. His bermudagrasses are widely used for forage
and on golf courses, ball fields and lawns. He developed new pearl millets for
forage that cost farmers less to grow while producing higher yields of
high-quality pasture. Hanna's seminal research on apomixis (plant cloning) is
directed towards producing true-breeding cultivars that retain superior
characteristics and hybrid vigor in crops for which traditional hybridization
is not economically feasible and in which apomixis does not occur naturally. He
has also done vital work on gene transfer in millet. Hanna was based at the ARS
Coastal Plain Experiment Station, Tifton, Ga.

The "Father of Remote Sensing," physicist Ray Jackson developed
methods used worldwide to evaluate crop health. His methods provide quick,
inexpensive, noninvasive assessments of plants and soils. Jackson's insight was
to determine directly from plants what their condition wasby observing
the difference between their remotely sensed "body temperature"
(emitted infrared radiation) and that of the air and soil. Jackson's crop-water
stress index better detects yield-robbing crop stress and can indicate when to
irrigate. Because of his work at the ARS U.S. Water Conservation Laboratory in
Phoenix, Ariz., commercial sensors soon became available. The technology
expanded to use of airplane/ground systems and then orbiting satellites. Today,
remote sensing of vegetation condition is commonplace around the world

Vernon Pursel is recognized worldwide for reproductive and genetic
technologies in farm animals. His influence on gene engineering and his
development of frozen swine semen profoundly influence animal and biomedical
science. Freezing of swine semen for artificial insemination was unsuccessful
until the 1970s when Pursel developed a procedure that is used to this day.
Advances resulting from his research have increased use of artificial
insemination to include over 80 percent of the U.S. swine herd. In 1984, Pursel
was the first to successfully transfer foreign genes into farm animals. His
centrifugation technique made methods used in mouse experiments possible in
pigs and cows, and he proved gene transfer is practical in farm species.
Transgenetic technology promises better animal growth and milk production,
enhanced disease resistance and higher quality food, as well as inexpensive
farm production of human medicines.

Charles W. Beard joined ARS in 1965 at the Southeast Poultry Laboratory in
Athens, Ga. During his 28-year career he developed the test for the detection
of avian influenza antibodies in serum and egg yolka test still
considered the worldwide "gold standard" for avian influenza
diagnostics. He conducted experimental studies and published papers on a wide
variety of poultry disease subjects including serology, vaccines and disease
origins. He also developed containment systems for safely conducting infectious
disease research. These systems are the basis of construction standards for
biocontainment laboratories.

Nelson A. Cox is among the world's most influential poultry microbiologists.
His work has led to huge reductions in Salmonella contamination (from
75 percent of broiler chickens in 1990 to 11 percent in 2005) and massive
savings to the poultry industry. Cox proved that immersion chilling is
superior, in microbiological terms, to air-blast chilling, preventing a
European trade ban that would have hurt the U.S. poultry industry. He and his
coworkers also identified hatcheries as significant reservoirs for Salmonella and conducted extensive research on intervention
strategies. Cox began his career with ARS in 1971 and still works for the
agency, in the Poultry Microbiological Safety Research Unit at Athens, Ga.

Sigmund Schwimmer's research on enzymes and their varied uses in food
preparation and preservation transformed the U.S. food industry. As early as
World War II, his enzyme investigations had provided indispensable principles
for the modern production of gasohol from corn. His work on low-temperature
preservation contributed to the foundation of techniques for modern frozen
food. His other research led to improved practices in brewing, baking and
distilling and innovative advances in health and nutrition. Schwimmer retired
from ARS in 1974, but continues to collaborate with scientists at the agency's
Western Regional Research Center in Albany, Calif.

Tien C. Tso joined ARS in 1952 and retired in 1983. He was a leader in
laying the foundation of organic metabolism of phytochemistry: the roles of
organic compoundssuch as sugars, organic acids, amino acids, sterols and
polyphenolsin plants, and their metabolism in the plants. His research
findings have broad applications. For example, he developed a group of fatty
acid compounds that are widely used in the fruit and flower industries for
thinning purposes. Much of his work supports medical and nutritional uses of
tobacco plant constituents. In the early 1990s Tso played a key role in
establishing a scientific team that helped resolve a major wheat trade issue
between the United States and China, resulting in increased U.S. wheat exports
to China.

Geneticist Donald K. Barnes pioneered the improvement of alfalfa by
developing the means to breed the crop for pest resistance and improved
nitrogen nutrition. This enabled farmers to depend less on chemical fertilizer.
But Barnes' greatest achievement was to reduce by more than one-third the seed
required to establish and maintain more than 20 million acres of alfalfa around
the world. Furthermore, he almost singlehandedly mentored a generation of
alfalfa geneticists. Barnes, now retired, led the Plant Science Research Unit
in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Ruth Rogan Benerito, a chemist, is recognized as one of the foremost
inventors of the 20th century. Through her pivotal role in developing
wrinkle-free cotton fabrics, she helped make cotton fiber competitive with
synthetics. Her basic research in the physical chemistry of cellulose opened up
vast potentials in the manufacture of wood and paper products as well as those
made from cotton. Benerito was research leader at the Cotton Chemical Reactions
Laboratory in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Keith E. Gregory greatly expanded the potential of beef cattle breeding
through an understanding of heterosis or "hybrid vigor." He developed
a breeding system based on composite cattlelines that mix traits from
different breeds to meet criteria such as feed availability, climate or market
characteristics. This crossbreeding increases production through better
survival and growth of calves, higher reproductive rate and longer breeding
life. Gregory was a geneticist at the Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research
Center in Clay Center, Nebraska.

Edward B. Bagley contributed foundational research to the science of
rheology, the study of flow and deformation of matter. He is best known for his
role in developing the starch-based copolymer Super Slurper. Super Slurper can
absorb up to 2,000 times its own weight in water. The product has become part
of a wide variety of products including baby powders, diapers, batteries, and
fuel filters. Bagley, now retired, was a research leader at ARS' National
Center for Agricultural Utilization Research in Peoria, Illinois.

Janice Miller is a veterinary medical officer with ARS' National Animal
Disease Center in Ames, Iowa. She is a leader in investigating the biology,
causes, and transmission of bovine leukemia and other serious diseases of
ruminants. She developed tests for bovine leukemia, bovine tuberculoses, and
several other major cattle diseases, greatly reducing their threat to U.S.
livestock production and exports.

George Inglett is one of the foremost international experts in food science
and technology. He developed Oatrim, Z-Trim, Nutrim, Soytrimderivatives
from oats, barley, and soyas fat replacements that provide a fraction of
fats' calories to consumers, but still taste good. These products offer many
nutritional benefits to consumers. Inglett is a research chemist at ARS'
National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research in Peoria, Illinois.

K. Darwin Murrell led USDA's comprehensive research program on
trichinellosis, which combined the efforts of many ARS laboratories and other
institutions. The program's significant advances in the epidemiology, immunity,
diagnosis, and systematics of Trichinella led to a significant reduction
in the threat posed by this disease in the United States. Murrell's leadership
of laboratory and agency-level programs established and advanced agency
research objectives. He retired from ARS as deputy administrator.

Stuart O. Nelson, an agricultural engineer in ARS' Quality Assessment
Research Unit at Athens, Georgia, is the world authority on dielectric
properties of agricultural products and their measurement. His research on the
dielectric behavior of granular and pulverized materials led to the first
reliable technique for measuring moisture in grain. In the United States, grain
moisture content is measured almost exclusively by his methods.

Lawrence A. Johnson is recognized as the world authority on sex preselection
in mammals, having developed the only validated method for selecting the sex of
offspring at conception. Sex preselection has given the livestock industry the
ability to manage the proportions of male and female offspring in their
breeding herds. Johnson has also made outstanding contributions to semen
preservation and artificial insemination in swine. He retired from ARS as
research leader of the Germplasm and Gamete Physiology Laboratory in
Beltsville, Maryland.

William E. Larson is an authority on soil and its importance to agriculture
and the environment. He is widely respected for his understanding of and
respect for soil as a natural resource and for his stewardship. He recognized
early the fundamental nature of organic matter in creating soil quality. He
served as national technical leader for ARS' Tillage/Residue Management
Investigation in St. Paul, Minnesota.

William L. Mengeling is one of the world's foremost veterinary virologists.
His contributions to controlling viral diseases of swine have had extensive
effects on the international swine industry. He developed the main test used in
eradicating hog cholera from the United States, leading to savings of $100
million a year in the swine industry. Before retiring from ARS, he served as
research leader of the Virus and Prion Diseases of Livestock Research Unit in
Ames, Iowa.

Virginia H. Holsinger is known for her research on dairy products,
especially whey and whey beverages. Her work on formulated foods for emergency
use and food donation has enriched the health of needy people worldwide. She is
most widely known for developing the enzyme treatment that makes milk
digestible by lactose-intolerant individuals. Holsinger, now retired, was
research leader of the ARS Dairy Products Research Unit in Wyndmoor,
Pennsylvania.

Marvin E. Jensen developed the first practical models of soil-water balance
needed to improve irrigation scheduling using computers. His work increased the
efficiency of water and energy use, resulting in savings for farmers and
consumers. Jensen's work spawned modern scientific irrigation scheduling. He
served as a National Program Leader of Water Management Research in Beltsville,
Maryland, before retiring from ARS.

Harley W. Moon contributed to a fundamental understanding of intestinal
diseases in livestock, and he developed effective control programs for these
diseases. Moon discovered that some strains of Escherichia coli, which
are common in the intestines of humans and animals, can produce diarrhea. His
research opened the way for methods to control E. coli infection. He was
director of ARS' Plum Island Foreign Animal Disease Laboratory in Greenport,
New York.

Allene R. Jeanes was posthumously inducted into the ARS Science Hall of Fame
for her microbiological, chemical, and engineering research contributions that
created urgently needed, life-saving industrial polymers made from agricultural
commodities. She and a colleague proposed a project for producing dextran and
converting it into synthetic blood plasma. The fluid that resulted from her
team's efforts was used on the battlefields of Korea and Vietnam to save
countless lives. She worked as a research chemist with ARS' National Center for
Agricultural Utilization Research in Peoria, Illinois.

Charles W. Stuber was inducted into the Hall of Fame for pioneering the use
of molecular markers in identifying, mapping, and manipulating quantitative
trait genes. His research stimulated interest in DNA-based marker technology
for improving crop traits, led industry giants to revolutionize many of their
crop breeding procedures, and influenced animal breeding technology. He worked
as a research geneticist and research leader in ARS' Plant Science Research
Unit at Raleigh, North Carolina.

Richard L. Witter is a world-renowned authority on avian
tumorsparticularly Marek's disease, a devastating illness that costs the
poultry industry millions every year. His research formed the basis for HVT
vaccine, a herpesvirus isolate from turkeys that is used worldwide to help
combat Marek's disease. It is estimated that the vaccine has saved the poultry
industry more than $100 million each year since it was introduced in 1971.
Witter worked as a veterinary medical officer at ARS' Avian Disease and
Oncology Laboratory in East Lansing, Michigan.

Thomas J. Henneberry is internationally recognized for his work in pest
management. His researchon the ecology, biology, and control of cotton
bollworm, tobacco budworm, pink bollworm, boll weevil, sweet potato whitefly,
and other pestshas resulted in significant contributions to pest
management systems worldwide. Henneberry worked as laboratory director of ARS'
Western Cotton Research Laboratory in Phoenix, Arizona.

James H. Tumlinson, III, is a pioneer in the discovery of insect pheromones.
Before retiring, he served as research leader of the ARS Insect Chemistry
Research Unit in Gainesville, Florida. Tumlinson's research led to eradication
of the boll weevil from the southeastern United States. He discovered the
chemical basis of plant-insect-parasite interaction. He also provided
leadership in identifying pheromones from over 40 species in 13 insect families
of considerable economic importance.

Thomas J. Henneberry is internationally recognized for his work in pest
management. His researchon the ecology, biology, and control of cotton
bollworm, tobacco budworm, pink bollworm, boll weevil, sweet potato whitefly,
and other pestshas resulted in significant contributions to pest
management systems worldwide. Henneberry worked as laboratory director of ARS'
Western Cotton Research Laboratory in Phoenix, Arizona.

James H. Tumlinson, III, is a pioneer in the discovery of insect pheromones.
Before retiring, he served as research leader of the ARS Insect Chemistry
Research Unit in Gainesville, Florida. Tumlinson's research led to eradication
of the boll weevil from the southeastern United States. He discovered the
chemical basis of plant-insect-parasite interaction. He also provided
leadership in identifying pheromones from over 40 species in 13 insect families
of considerable economic importance.

Morton Beroza has an international reputation for discovering ingenious and
inventive tools for controlling insect pests safely within their ecological
domain. He developed many environmentally compatible insect control strategies
using insect lures, attractants, repellents, and pheromones. Beroza invented
analytical techniques and apparatus now used by chemists worldwide. He worked
as a chief of ARS' Organic Chemicals Synthesis Laboratory before retiring.

R. James Cook has inspired an ecological approach to controlling diseases of
agricultural crops, particularly wheat and barley. He is recognized worldwide
as the leading authority on biological control of plant pathogens. He is the
first person to find resistance to both "take all" and Rhizoctonia
root rot diseases in a plant closely related to wheat. He served as the
research leader of the ARS Root Disease and Biological Control Research Unit in
Pullman, Washington.

Retired plant physiologist William L. Ogren worked in the ARS Photosynthesis
Research Unit at Urbana, Illinois. He is a pioneer in discovering how plants
use sunlight. His research on photosynthesis helped to make it a key factor
worldwide for crop improvement strategies. He worked as a plant physiologist in
the Photosynthesis Research Unit at Urbana, Illinois.

The late Fred W. Blaisdell developed improved structures for soil and water
conservation. His research has influenced the design of almost every structure
used to "drop" flowing water in stream channels. His famous and
widely used structure is the Saint Anthony Falls stilling basin, which is used
to drop water from one level to another in a water conveyance channel.
Blaisdell was a hydraulic engineer in ARS' Hydraulic Engineering Research Unit
at Stillwater, Oklahoma.

Herbert J. Dutton retired as chief of ARS' Oilseeds Crops Laboratory in
Peoria, Illinois. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame for research that lead
to the establishment of soybean oil as the predominant edible vegetable oil in
the world. Largely as a result of his research contributions, soybean oil
commands 85 percent of the domestic fats and oils market. His research
continues to have an impact on soybean research.

Research geneticist Charles Jackson Hearn worked in ARS' Horticultural and
Breeding Research Unit at Orlando, Florida, before retiring from the agency. He
developed improved orange, grapefruit, and tangerine varieties used extensively
by U.S. citrus producers. Hearn's varieties represent 40 percent of the
nursery-propagated grapefruit planted in Florida, 72 percent of the tangerines,
and 7 percent of citrus classified as oranges.

Harry Alfred Borthwick spent many years studying and quantifying the
photoperiodic mechanisms that control flowering in plants. His studies formed
the basis for collaborative research with other scientists that successfully
identified and isolated the photoreceptor for day length detection in plants.
He worked at ARS' Photoperiod Pioneering Research Laboratory in Beltsville,
Maryland, and was posthumously inducted into ARS' Science Hall of Fame.

William M. Doane served as a research leader of the ARS Plant Polymer
Research Unit in Peoria, Illinois before retiring. He initiated and conducted
research that created new and useful products that ultimately led to the
establishment of new industries based on agricultural materials. He initiated a
research program that led to discovery and development of Super Slurper, a
highly absorbent starch graft polymer. Today, Doane's polymer can be found in
many products, including seed coatings, wound dressing and disposable soft
goods.

The late Walter Mertz was an authority in several areas of nutrition. He was
one of the world's most prominent research scientists in the area of trace
elements in human nutrition. He is best known for discovering that chromium is
an essential nutrient involved in carbohydrate metabolism. Mertz promoted
research on dietary risk factors for chronic health disorders. He was director
of the Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center in Beltsville, Maryland.

Charles N. Bollich led in the development of 16 rice cultivars, many of
which have become driving forces in the United States and a number of Central
and South American countries. Bollich's research has contributed significantly
to rice breeding and genetics and their consequent benefits to American
agriculture. He worked as a research leader at ARS' Rice Research Laboratory in
Beaumont, Texas.

Chester G. McWhorter worked as a research leader of the ARS Application
Technology Research Unit in Stoneville, Mississippi. He earned his place in the
Hall of Fame for contributing to American agriculture through basic and applied
research that has resulted in improved weed management technology leading to
increased yields and reduced production costs. McWhorter's improved weed
control technology is now used in the United States on more than 60 million
acres annually.

Malcolm J. Thompson is internationally recognized for his contributions to
the fields of insect and plant biochemistry. Thompson is notably remembered for
his pioneering discoveries with the group of steroid hormones (ecdysteroids)
that regulate molting in insects and other invertebrates. He worked as a
research chemist at ARS' Insect Neurobiology and Hormone Laboratory in
Beltsville, Maryland.

John R. Gorham's scientific research has resulted in the solving of animal
disease control problems and has advanced the basic knowledge of viral and
genetic diseases in humans and animals. He has an international reputation in
slow virus diseases, fur animal diseases, and animal models of human genetic
diseases. Gorham served as a research leader in the ARS Animal Diseases
Research Unit at Pullman, Washington.

Sterling B. Hendricks was posthumously inducted into ARS' Science Hall of
Fame for his significant contributions as a chemist, physicist, mathematician,
plant physiologist, geologist, and mineralogist. Notably remembered for his
work on plant photobiology, he also pioneered the application of radioisotopes
to the study of phosphate fertilizer transport and intake into plant roots. He
worked at ARS as chief scientist of the Mineral Nutrition Pioneering Research
Laboratory in Beltsville, Maryland.

The late Clair E. Terrill was a worldwide leader in sheep production
research. He developed a three-pronged strategy for increasing efficiency of
meat production from sheep without increasing feed demands: genetically
increase the lamb crop, remove low-producing adults at a young age and reduce
lamb mortality. He served as National Program Leader for Sheep and Fur Animals
Research in Beltsville, Maryland.

The late Raymond C. Bushland conducted pioneering research that helped lead
to screwworm eradication using the sterile insect technique. His research also
helped lead to the control of human body louse, the vector of epidemic typhus.
Typhus is particularly a problem among military and civilians in wartime
conditions. Before retiring, Bushland worked as a research entomologist with
ARS' Screwworm Research Laboratory in Mission, Texas.

Lyman B. Crittenden worked at ARS as research leader of the Avian Disease
and Oncology Laboratory in East Lansing, Michigan. He was inducted into the
Hall of Fame for his research contributions to retroviral genetics, transgenic
animal development, and genome mapping in poultry. He led a 10-year group
effort that developed improved methods for detecting and reducing the effects
of avian leukosis virus in poultry. He led a program that resulted in
development of the first transgenic chickens.

Arnel R. Hallauer played a major role in developing and evaluating more than
30 maize synthetics and 18 inbred lines that were released to the seed industry
during his years as leader of the ARS maize breeding research project. His
research helped increase the understanding and use of quantitative genetics in
plant breeding and has led to the development of many superior corn hybrids
worldwide. Hallauer retired from the agency as research leader of ARS' Field
Crops Research Unit in Ames, Iowa.

The late John H. Weinberger retired from the Horticultural Crops Research
Laboratory in Fresno, California, where he worked as a research horticulturist.
He earned a place in the Hall of Fame for his lifelong research contributions
to developing fruit varieties and fruit-breeding technology. During his career
at ARS, Weinberger developed and released 37 fruit varieties. Flame Seedless, a
table grape he released in 1973, is now the second most important seedless
grape produced in the United States.

The late Walter H. Wischmeier served as national research investigations
leader of ARS' Soil and Water Conservation Research Division in West Lafayette,
Indiana. He developed the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE), which has been
widely used for decades worldwide in natural resource conservation and
management. According to the International Soil and Water Conservation Society,
USLE is regarded as the "primary tool of conservationists for planning
purposes."

The late Theodore C. Byerly, a biologist, served as Deputy Administrator of
ARS and was stationed in Washington, D.C. He directed research that produced
many major advances in poultry science, including discovery of the superiority
of selectively bred hybrids in egg and poultry production, and the development
of the Beltsville white turkey. He was a founding director and president of the
Friends of Agricultural Research, Beltsville (FAR-B).

Gordon E. Dickerson was a research animal geneticist at the Roman L. Hruska
U.S. Meat Animal Research Center in Clay Center, Nebraska. His concepts and
procedures in livestock genetics are widely used by breeders to increase
production efficiency of cattle, sheep, swine, and poultry.

Robert W. Holley was inducted into the Hall of Fame for discovering and
characterizing a class of low molecular ribonucleic acids known as transfer
ribonucleic acids (tRNAs). These act as carriers for specific amino acids
during protein synthesis. Holley's research on tRNAs provided the foundation
for more recent advances in both plant and animal sciences based on recombinant
DNA techniques. Holley worked as a research chemist in the ARS Plant, Soil and
Nutrition Laboratory at Ithaca, New York.

The late Virgil A. Johnson was a research leader at ARS' Wheat Research Unit
in Lincoln, Nebraska. He developed superior bread wheat cultivars and improved
wheat germplasm. He co-developed 28 improved wheat cultivars that have set new
productivity and performance standards for hard red winter wheat in the United
States and in similar wheat-producing countries, such as Turkey and South
Africa. These cultivars have occupied as much as 25 percent of the entire U.S.
wheat acreage.

The late George F. Sprague contributed significantly to the development of
methods for identifying and producing superior corn hybrids that are widely
considered to be among the greatest plant breeding achievements of the 20th
century. Sprague developed Stiff Stalk Synthetic, which became one of the most
important germplasm line sources. He retired from ARS as investigations leader
of the Corn and Sorghum Investigations Unit in Beltsville, Maryland.

Douglas R. Dewey is recognized as a leading authority on cytogenetics, the
study of chromosomes and chromosome abnormality-related diseases; genomic
relationships; and taxonomic classification of wheatgrasses, wild ryes and
related species. He assembled the world's largest and most diverse collection
of perennial species in the grass family subdivision called the Triticeae
tribe. Dewey served as research leader of ARS' Forage and Range Research Unit
in Logan, Utah, before retiring.

Theodor O. Diener was inducted into the Hall of Fame for conceptualizing
and discovering viroids, for leading research on viroid detection and control,
and for inspiring new approaches in the search for causes of several serious
diseases affecting plants, livestock, and humans. Diener worked as a research
plant pathologist at ARS' Microbiology and Plant Pathology Laboratory in
Beltsville, Maryland.

Karl H. Norris served as research leader for ARS' Instrumental Research
Laboratory in Beltsville, Maryland. He developed principles and instruments
using the electromagnetic waves spectrum to make rapid, nondestructive
measurements for evaluating the quality of agricultural products. Norris
developed near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) as a method for
measuring the protein, oil, and moisture content of grain. NIRS has been widely
adopted in the world grain marketing system.

John F. Sullivan was inducted into the ARS Hall of Fame for his
contributions to the food-processing and preservation industries, including
development of instant potato flakes and a batch explosion-puffing system for
producing dried, rehydratable fruit and vegetable products. The development of
instant potato flakes played an important role in revitalizing the U.S. potato
industry. Before retiring, Sullivan worked as a chemical engineer in ARS'
Engineering Science Research Unit at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Microbiologist Francis E. Clark helped determine how microorganisms affect
nutrient cycling in plants and soil. His research lead to a greater
understanding of soil, plant, and microbial interactions in terrestrial
ecosystems. He defined factors affecting nitrate formation and stability in
soil, and the role of cropping history and organic matter in controlling
nitrogen losses. Clark worked in the ARS Soil, Plant, Nutrient Research Unit at
Fort Collins, Colorado.

Edgar E. Hartwig developed new soybean cultivars that helped transform this
crop to the second most valuable U.S. crop. Nearly 90 percent of southern
soybean acreage is planted with cultivars developed by Hartwig. He worked as a
research agronomist in ARS' Soybean Production Research Unit at Stoneville,
Mississippi.

The late Ralph E. Hodgson was inducted to the ARS Hall of Fame for
significantly contributing to the understanding of production and use of
pasture and forages. He was instrumental in modernizing and expanding ARS
livestock research. Hodgson served in Beltsville, Maryland, as a National
Program Staff scientist for Dairy Production.

Hamish N. Munro worked as a senior scientist at ARS' Jean Mayer USDA Human
Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts in Boston, Massachusetts. He was
inducted into the Hall of Fame for his research contributions in nutrition
science, particularly on the relationship of dietary protein and iron to the
health of the elderly, and for promoting studies on aging.

José Vicente-Chandler spearheaded research that led to new and
greatly improved production systems for beef, milk, coffee, plantains, and rice
for Puerto Rico and Caribbean countries. He retired from ARS, after 43 years of
service, as the research leader of the Soil and Water Conservation Research
Unit in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico.

Howard L. Bachrach worked as chief scientist at the ARS Plum Island Animal
Disease Center in Greenport, New York. He made his first significant
contribution to the conquest of viral diseases in 1949 with his research on
foot-and-mouth disease. It was his research that led to development of the
world's first effective subunit vaccine for any disease of animals or humans
using gene splicing.

Myron K. Brakke was a research chemist stationed at what was then the ARS
Wheat and Sorghum Research Unit in Lincoln, Nebraska. His invention for
separating plant and animal cell components, called density-gradient
centrifugation, has had a great and lasting worldwide influence on molecular
biology. His research in plant virology earned him a place in the ARS Hall of
Fame.

Glenn W. Burton was inducted into the ARS Hall of Fame for his research
achievements in forage and turf science. He worked as a research plant
geneticist in the Forage and Turf Research Unit at Tifton, Georgia. Burton
developed Coastal bermudagrassa pasture grass for beef cattleand
solved problems associated with its establishment and management. Coastal
bermudagrass has been planted on more than 10 million acres throughout the
southern United States.

Wilson A. Reeves worked as chief of the Cotton Finishing Laboratory in New
Orleans, Louisiana. He developed individually and with other scientists many
economically beneficial techniques for making cotton and cotton-blend fabrics
flame resistant, flame retardant, wash-and-wear, and durable press. Reeves'
research and leadership in the field of textile chemical finishing has
significantly benefited agriculture and consumers.

The late Ernest R. Sears' work in wheat genetics and discoveries of
chromosomal mechanisms that established standards in animal, plant, and human
genetics secured him a spot in the ARS Hall of Fame. He conducted research that
provided essential data about wheat's 21 chromosomes. Sears worked as a
research geneticist in the ARS Cereal Genetics Research Unit at Columbia,
Missouri.

The late Orville A. Vogel, a research agronomist formerly in ARS' Wheat
Breeding and Production Unit, developed the first useful semidwarf wheats and
innovative production systems that made the Pacific Northwest a major source of
soft white wheat. His research inspired similar research efforts throughout the
world and sparked the Green Revolution.

Cecil H. Wadleigh was inducted into the ARS Hall of Fame for determining the
mechanisms through which crops respond to salinity and water stress. His
research provided a substantial part of the information published in USDA's
Agriculture Handbook 60, "Diagnosis and Improvement of Saline Soil,"
the definitive work on this subject since its publication more than 25 years
ago. Wadleigh retired from ARS as director of the Soil and Water Conservation
Research Division in Beltsville, Maryland.

Edward F. Knipling -
Inducted 1986

The late Edward F. Knipling was the first inductee into the ARS Science
Hall of Fame. He served as director of the Entomology Division in Beltsville,
Maryland. Knipling developed an innovative sterile male technique for
controlling insect pests in the early 1950s. During that time, insect control
strategies relied mostly on chemical pesticides. His method involved releasing
sterile male insects into the wild as a way to disrupt insect reproduction.
Knipling's pioneering research, which led to screwworm eradication in the
United States, landed him a place in ARS history.